Rolling Discord

Peredu Ivorson

Description:

Bio:

Peredor of House Ivorson is the 2nd son (5th child) of an old and once powerful house from the city of Orinskor. The Ivorson family was among the first humans (nobles at least) to arrive on the Naissus mainland and so his family is one of three in Orinskor and perhaps two dozen in all of Naissus that is referred to as Firsts. The Ivorsons controlled much of Orinskor’s countryside until the last Imperial War (as its known in Orinskor)some 200 years ago. During the war to unite the Jeweled/Gold Coast, the Ivorson family picked the wrong side and as punishment had all of its vassal states reassigned to other more “loyal” lords. Currently the Ivorson family still controls Castle Dauntless, a large and imposing castle some 30 miles from Orinskor but it is in a state of disrepair as the family no longer has the income to maintain such a large estate. In fact the only thing that saves the family from being forgotten is a small iron mine on their property that was discovered after the war and their status as a First. Because of tradition (which had its roots in respect for the families that left to tame the wild frontier many of which were part of or had connections to powerful families back in the civilized world)the Firsts are still highly respected by most all noble houses in Naissus and are therefore sought out as business partners and political allies though many no longer hold vast tracts of land and almost none have any significant affiliation with the great Nobel houses from their homelands.

Because of their economic position, Peredor’s father Hefin is and has always been determined to find a way to bring back the glory of his house, which has had a significant impact on the paths in life Peredor has chosen (or, one could argue has been chosen for him). Peredor’s older brother Maxen is set to be the sole inheritor of Dauntless Castle and its undersized estate, therefore, like most noble boys w/out an inheritance was expected to join the military. Because the first humans to come to Naissus and take land were Paladins of the Order of Chalvar (typically referred to simply as the Order), a militant/religious group that worships Bahamut, it is expected that the firsts not join their city’s military force, but instead join the Order of Chalvar. The Order of Chalvar is still a powerful organization throughout human controlled Naissus and represents the only military force that could be considered a human Naissus army. Through the centuries, the Order has become corrupted and while in name it is a religious organization large portions of its members are either non-religious or even atheists. Other than the fact that it has no loyalties to any city, there are few differences between the Order and any city’s military force. In fact, as much as 70% of its members are little different than standard soldier with no additional religious training or abilities. This is in part due to the fact that capitalism is the true religion in many of the coastal cities, though officially Orinskor’s patron god is Bahamut and most of the city’s residents claim to worship him though based on the low attendance in the temples, a visitor to the city would probably not guess it to be the case.

At 12 Peredor left home to join the Order and spent the next six years in exhaustive military (and little religious) training as a squire to Sir Owain, the third son of one of the wealthiest families in Orinskor, and cousin by marriage to its ruler. The pairing of the two was political and arranged by Peredor’s father. Having Peredor as a first, it raised the prestige of Owain and his house, and it provided additional economic opportunities for House Ivorson, despite the fact that technically members of the Order lose their surnames and house affiliation. Through time the tradition of dropping the surname has remained but members typically maintain strong affiliations with their families and most wear their family’s sigil on their armor and/or shield (unless they belong to a small/weak/poor house. Owain never took his duties as a mentor seriously, and for the first six years in the Order, Peredor did little other than train and occasionally went with Owain and the other squires on patrols or raids against bandit camps. The entire time he was in the order Peredor was constantly reminded by his father that he was a First, and Firsts never show fear. Shortly after Peredor turned 18 he met the elderly Sir Afon, a true Paladin who eventually took Peredor under his wing and tried to teach him in the holy traditions of the order. During this time, Peredor becomes a ‘true believer’ and begins to study religious texts in his free time, though he has a long way to go to get where he should be. After two years of instruction (while still serving Sir Owain) Peredor earned his knighthood by taking part in a the rescue of Cadi, the daughter of the ruler of Orinskor, who was attacked by bandits when returning home from a trip to Safirakor. As a new knight, Peredor is expected to go forth on his own for two years and serve as Bahamut’s blade on earth. This is how he found his way up to Portage. As his first experience any real distance away from Orinskor, he feels quite unprepared. He only recently began his training as a holy warrior, something he learned that would have begun as soon as he became a squire had he joined the Order some 400 years earlier (this is the point where the corruption in the Order began in earnest). Peredor now finds himself unsure of how he should act (most of his experience has been with Sir Owain who he knows is not far from the paragon example of a holy warrior, and Sir Afron is too old and while not bedridden, Peredor has never seen how Afron or any other true paladin interacts outside the confines of the Order’s Keep). The one thing that Peredor knows (because it was driven into him since he was a young boy) is that the fate of his father, brother, and his entire house rests on him not ever showing fear, for fear is a sign of weakness and the Firsts conquer fear just as the conquered the Jeweled/Gold Coast.

- Ivorson family = poor by noble standards but well connected / respected
- Order of Chalvar is a very old and powerful military/monastic order that worships Bahamut in name but has been corrupted over time
- Sir Owain – Peredor’s mentor was unconcerned with his duties to his squires therefore he had them spend most of their time training with the Order’s Keep’s Master of Arms while he ‘enjoyed’ life
- After gaining Knighthood Peredor was required to spend two years essentially adventuring

Peredu has come up with a very interesting way to play lawful good, especially in a party filled with unaligned characters. He’s a jerk. This is a relief from most Lawful Goods playing as crazy noble knights in shining armor saving every damsel in distress, giving their money to the poor, helping old ladies cross the street, and helping mom bake apple pie. He doesn’t think twice of exterminating the last of a kobold clan guilty of little beyond poor choice of dens. Kobolds are evil, and have to be killed. Period. He sees things in such severe contrasts of black and white that the others are often taken aback and horrified, creating interesting tensions (which usually become moot points, as once Peredu believes he is on firm moral ground he acts). I have used his description of Orinskor, expanded enormously (or perhaps perverted enormously), to help create that city for when the party ultimately finds there way there. Like Avyx and Ember I’ve only taken a few key notes to incorporate into the general theme and history of Naissus, twisting them perhaps to make them fit my narrative needs.

As a DM Peredu is a terribly frustrating character in combat as his armor class is so high that he is nigh-unstoppable on the battlefield. I won’t lie, I’ve created combat scenarios with the sole purpose in mind of finally even HITTING him.

Peredu has a wholly unnatural obsession with acquiring a warhorse, and as such I have developed an unnatural obsession with finding ways to deny him said horse.

Despite his class-based high diplomacy Peredu consistently blows those rolls, which have created a dynamic that I have seized upon: he is so arrogant that his charm ends up being counter-productive. As a result despite his charisma, people are repulsed by him (either due to class distinctions, racial tensions, or city-based rivalries). He is an interesting example of how dice rolls can completely subvert how a character is built, creating an exciting new dynamic.